Riff Racer

About

"Riff Racer: Race Your Music" is a rhythm-based racing game where you race on tracks generated by your own music library. The game provides a unique experience as the tracks are created in real-time to match the rhythm and tempo of the song. Your driving skills and the beat of the music sync up to give you a thrilling ride.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,255 reviews

music292 positive mentions

grinding20 negative mentions

Unique mechanic of generating race tracks from user-uploaded .MP3 music files, providing endless replayability.
Fun and engaging gameplay that combines racing with music, allowing players to perform tricks and earn points.
Visually appealing with vibrant colors and a neon aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.

Game requires an online connection to generate new tracks, making it unplayable when servers are down.
Track generation can be inconsistent, with some songs resulting in boring or poorly designed tracks.
Controls can feel floaty and unresponsive, making it difficult to navigate tight turns and avoid obstacles.

music
1,729 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
80%
3%
The music aspect of "Riff Racer" has garnered mixed reviews, with players praising the unique concept of racing on tracks generated from their own music libraries. Many enjoy the ability to upload any song, particularly electronic and upbeat genres like eurobeat, which enhance the racing experience. However, criticisms arise regarding the game's inconsistent track generation, where the difficulty and flow of the tracks often do not align well with the music, leading to a disconnect between the gameplay and the audio. Overall, while the game offers a fun way to engage with personal music collections, it struggles with syncing and track variety, leaving some players feeling that it doesn't fully deliver on its musical promise.
- “This game was awesome to play; you could upload any song you wanted and race the track it generated from the song.”
- “The sense of constant competition globally for every new music track made really made this game feel alive as a community.”
- “Riff Racer achieves this by letting you play any of your local songs on your computer, amplifying the music and letting you race on neon pulsating tracks.”
- “Sadly, as of 2022, the game no longer works properly; some kind fans have patched the dead servers into a fan-run server, allowing a private play session of new music with new tracks, but your records and ghosts of other players are no longer operational.”
- “The biggest issue I wish they would solve is that sometimes slow songs are given a fast-paced, high-difficulty race track, and crazy songs are given a boring, 1-star race track.”
- “The tracks generated from music are difficult sometimes, but rarely unfair.”
gameplay
163 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The gameplay of this rhythm racing game is characterized by a unique blend of driving mechanics and music synchronization, offering a fun yet simplistic experience. While the drifting mechanic adds a layer of challenge, many players find it inconsistent and frustrating, leading to a mixed reception regarding the overall depth and engagement of the gameplay. Despite its shortcomings, the game is praised for its innovative concept and potential for improvement in future updates or sequels.
- “Overall, a solid arcade rhythm racing game with smooth gameplay, which is definitely worth a buy if you are into that sort of stuff.”
- “The gameplay itself is really good too, it's easy to learn, but challenging to master, which is always a good thing.”
- “The gameplay is a mixture of avoiding obstacles, collecting boxes for points/boost, collecting tokens for in-game customization, jumping off ramps (and landing them) all while staying in sync with the song you are playing.”
- “Handling, gameplay, course layouts, and overall visibility are poor and boring.”
- “The gameplay loop is really boring, just driving on a randomly-generated track that I don't even think syncs with the music you played.”
- “Every car steers the same, there is no variety and the drift mechanics aren't fun either, because it breaks the combo chain way too fast and doesn't really reward you for doing it.”
graphics
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
51%
6%
The graphics in the game are generally described as visually appealing, featuring a vibrant, neon aesthetic that syncs well with the music. However, many users note a lack of variety in track designs and color schemes, leading to a somewhat repetitive experience. While the visuals are polished and run smoothly, some players express a desire for more graphic options and improvements in overall design.
- “Graphics are amazing, especially when wrecked.”
- “The graphical style of this game is amazing too, lots of psychedelic colors that pulsate and flash in time to the music, suits a techno track down to the ground.”
- “The visuals are also affected by the tempo of the song.”
- “The low poly graphics are polished but still lacking.”
- “But the graphics are pretty rough, the visual design in general is rather poor, it can't distinguish between genres to save its life, and the tracks have almost zero relationship to the music playing.”
- “The handling is terrible, even worse than some flash games that were made in ten minutes, the race track (collectibles, walls and the track itself) doesn't follow your music, the only way to change the language is by placing a text file in the game directory, monotone colors, no graphic settings aside from a full screen toggle and resolution... a huge disappointment since I like casual racing games and rhythm games.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, with players reporting the need for hundreds of hours to unlock cars and achievements due to low coin rewards. While some players find enjoyment in the process, particularly through customizing their racing experience with personal music, many feel that the grind detracts from overall enjoyment and leads to a lack of meaningful accomplishment. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant drawback, with some players estimating they will need an additional 40 hours or more just to complete certain achievements.
- “Have fun grinding for 400 hours to unlock them all, because coin rewards are pitiful (300 coins per 3 minutes if you're lucky enough), and you need a whopping 475,000 of them!”
- “The skins get ludicrously expensive, requiring dozens of hours of coin grinding, but they aren't even all that appealing, since you're always staring at the back of your car.”
- “The majority of achievements are based on money grinding for more pointless aesthetic unlocks.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
56%
17%
The game's replayability is highly praised, largely hinging on the size of the player's music library, which allows for endless variations in gameplay. Players can also engage with leaderboard challenges and unlockable content, enhancing the overall experience. However, some reviewers suggest that additional game modes could further improve replay value.
- “Amazing game with a replay value that is limited only by your music collection.”
- “The game offers replay value in the form of unlockables; each car is sort of expensive and has its own set of skins that can go up to 25,000 in-game currency, with each track giving you between 200-500 in-game currency if you’re good.”
- “Lots of replayability via leaderboards and unlocks.”
- “For a game that's hinging on its procedural generation to create replayability, it really could use a bit of tweaking/polish.”
- “The game's replayability is entirely dependent on the size of your music library.”
- “We just need some more modes to spice things up and increase replayability.”
story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
47%
35%
The game lacks a traditional narrative, with many users noting that it functions more as a music experience than a story-driven title. While some appreciate the absence of a story, allowing for a focus on gameplay and customization, others feel that this limits engagement and replayability. Overall, the consensus is that the game's appeal lies in its music and mechanics rather than any narrative depth.
- “Epic story.”
- “I'm not a big fan of early access myself, but you can mark this down as an early access success story.”
- “The story is really the track and how it responds to your musical selection, and how you respond to the track in turn.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “Well in Riff Racer there is no story to speak of, it's a simple music game.”
- “Lacks any sort of story, and no proper leveling system, so it doesn't keep you wanting to play more; the only reason to keep playing is to unlock more cars and paint jobs.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
18%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many users reporting solid performance and smooth gameplay on a range of hardware, including lower-end systems. While some players noted a lack of graphic options and uniform car performance, the game maintains a consistent frame rate and low loading times, making it accessible and enjoyable for casual play. However, there are calls for more customization and performance options to enhance the experience further.
- “The game is quite optimized; it can run on typical modern hardware (basically anything above an Intel HD 3000).”
- “The performance optimization is solid, maintaining a constant 60 fps throughout gameplay with an i5 3570k and GTX 760. The recommended requirements are pretty low, and I am impressed by that.”
- “Very optimized (most games are laggy on my PC, but not this one).”
- “I could connect to play my songs, but this game is unplayable because even with the full release after early access, it has no graphic options, optimization, and my PC can't run it decently, so I can't say anything about gameplay, driving, etc.”
- “There's also zero performance difference between all the cars, which whether or not that's a flaw is up to you.”
- “The 'in sync' markers are just some arbitrary markers and will catch up regardless of performance.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
78%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, while others report a generally smooth experience. Many users express frustration over a lack of developer support and unresolved issues, suggesting that the game may be in a neglected state. Overall, while some players enjoy the game without major problems, others highlight critical stability concerns that need addressing.
- “Really fun and runs great.”
- “I know it's an early access game, and I understand there's no such thing as a bug-free game, but these problems are the things they really need to iron out first.”
- “Tried to scour the community or support pages, but none of the old fixes I tried worked and the devs seem to have abandoned it in a buggy state.”
- “They never respond on the forums, or even on their bug tracker when I found a pretty nasty couple of coin-eating glitches.”
- “Still a bit buggy - by this I mean there were several times where I was 100% in sync for the majority of the song, only to have it be messed up by my car randomly turning 180 degrees into the opposite direction after landing from a jump, making me go several bars behind.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
89%
11%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both amusing and entertaining, particularly through unexpected results like hilariously mismatched speed and genre themes. The game's quirky elements, such as a comically bad main menu theme and amusing bugs, contribute to its overall comedic charm, making it a funny and relaxing experience.
- “Sometimes you may get funny results, like when some speedcore tracks create high-speed race tracks, but others may end up with an amusingly slow track.”
- “It also (very inaccurately and sometimes downright stupidly funny) detects the genre of the song you're playing, giving you a new visual theme for each song.”
- “Crashing into a barrier or hitting the edge of the track right as the climax of a song hits is kind of funny, to be honest.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by frustration and disappointment, as players feel hindered by mechanics that penalize them for minor contact with obstacles, undermining their sense of control and achievement. The drifting system, which requires players to abandon their understanding of car physics, adds to this sense of disconnection, leading to moments of irritation when they lose points unexpectedly. Overall, the emotional experience is marred by a lack of clarity and fairness in gameplay mechanics.
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The monetization strategy of the game is a mixed bag; while it incorporates some progression elements that suggest a design favoring microtransactions, players appreciate the option to earn in-game currency through gameplay rather than purchases. Additionally, the ability to race on any track enhances the game's replayability, making it feel less reliant on monetization.
- “You can earn the in-game currency by leveling up or just driving over it on the track. In an age where it seems every game has in-game purchases, it's nice to see one without it.”
- “Some mode of progression is good, but clearly designed with microtransactions in mind.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its brilliance and stunning visuals, which significantly enhance the overall experience. Players note that the atmosphere varies with different music genres, contributing to a dynamic and engaging environment. However, potential players should be cautious of the graphics, as they may trigger epileptic reactions.
- “This game has a brilliant atmosphere, stunning visuals (epileptics be warned), and simple yet fun gameplay.”
- “The graphics add to the atmosphere of the game immensely.”
- “Different atmosphere depending on your music genre.”
- “The atmosphere feels inconsistent and lacks a cohesive identity.”
- “The game fails to create an immersive atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected.”
- “Despite the potential, the atmosphere is flat and uninspired.”